Back To Cairns

 Waited it out in Giru for a couple of days.

A really nice spot, next to the railway line and old railway building.  Went for a drive into Townsville to stock up on supplies and waited for news on road conditions.

One for Dad, right next to the railway line. A couple went past through the night but nothing annoying.

Playing the tourist in Townsville. Castle Hill.

In the end the Bruce Hwy was easier and quicker to get through so Wednesday morning we set out to see how far up the road we could venture.

Got past Ingham no problems, there was so much water around, no evidence of it cutting off the roads but oh so much water.

                                                        

Once back in Cairns the real toll could be seen I've found a before shot of the Barron River looking over the Kamerunga Bridge, and as that was the only route open to the Northern Beaches, compare it with our shots as we travelled over the bridge

Before     

Currently, sandy beaches replace the heavily treed river banks.

Thankfully our home was untouched, but our thoughts remain with all those that have lost so much.

The HIGHS and the lows

 This week has mostly been in Brisbane. 

We moved into the Beenleigh Showgrounds on Sunday, and must say what a beautiful site, well kept, clean and friendly and helpful hosts, would definitely recommend. Can only stay between Sunday afternoon and Saturday morning as they use the site for markets over the weekend, however for $35/night power and water included, cannot complain.

Then started the week on such a high, what a proud moment watching Jess graduate.

And of coursed I cry, I always cry.

Grace had flown up from Adelaide for the celebrations, it was so, so nice to be with both the girls again.

We haven't seen Grace since the beginning of the year, and Jess hadn't seen her for longer so it was quite the reunion.

While we were altogether we held a family Christmas. Roast Pork and pressies, and most importantly altogether.

We were trying to get someone to look at our front window damage and also the broken awning, but seems no-one able to do so before the New Year, and with Cyclone Jasper bearing down on home with a huge rain depression (epic) we decided to head home to check on the house and probably get repairs and everything else sorted whilst home, so back North we head.

Left Brisbane Saturday morning and made it through to Yaamba Saturday night, pushed on and in Giru Sunday night trying to decide our best route from here as all roads into Cairns are shut off after record breaking floods.

Thinking of everyone up there, stay safe and dry.

Not the Best Start - Things Break - Week 1

Our car fridge was the first thing to go. (It is 14 years old) and it is sitting in a 37 degree car, but it just cant keep cool.

The second breakage was our own fault. We failed to notice the front window shield was open when leaving camp, and it wasn't till much later down the track that we pulled over to see the guard was flipped upright against the van (Suppose we were lucky it hadn't pulled completely away from the van).  As such we have maneuvered it to stay closed against the window to protect it, but we are unable to open either the shield or the front window for fear of doing further damage.

The next injury was to the awning, hoping this one is warranty as we think the inner spring has given way. The awning will not extend beyond a couple of inches, we don't want to force it too much for fear of breaking it right off or unable to contain it for travel. No matter where we go at this time of year we need shade, and that awning was all we had.

It is so disappointing but being Christmas many repairers are closing for holidays, making it nigh  impossible just to get someone to look at the damage.

Our time away hasn't all been bad, found a few nice camp spots along the way.

After leaving Fletcher's Creek we just did a one nighter at a free camp out the back of a roadhouse in Clermont, not the prettiest of camps but comfortable enough for an over-nighter.

We had a gravel pit ear marked for the next night but not sure if we missed it, or it doesn't exist any more but unable to locate that one, even with the GPS co-ordinates, found a section off the road further down and pulled off there. Really pretty spot next to Carnarvon N.P. and with a cow bellowing in the morning and answering cows echoing in the distance it was a bit like waking up in Jurassic Park.

From here we travelled to Warra, for a neat little donation camp next to a river (no water). A bit disappointed at this time with all the damage we had done, this would have been a really pretty "tiny" town to look around if we were in the mood to look at it all.

Warra RV Rest Stop

Another free camp beside Logan River before heading into Brisbane, and Sunday arrived at the Beenleigh Showgrounds for our Brisbane stint and hopefully sorting out the repairs and warranty claim.

My morning view at the Tully Memorial Park (Logan River)

With Cyclone Jasper bearing down on Cairns, and the media hype attached to it down here in Brisbane just makes us more anxious.

We Hit The Road - Again

We are finally ready to go.

After putting the date back more than once, we finally hit the road

Heading to Brisbane first so a bit more rushed than we would like, but these things cant be helped.

Its hot and we are heading inland where its hotter, but not so humid, so a bit of relief there.

Fuel isn't too bad at $199.9 (Who would have thought the $2 mark would be a good price)

And our first stop by a running creek. How nice is this?

I will try to update this travel diary once a week. But at least we are on our way..  Yay........

   🎇🎉🎆